KBO Futures League () or Korea Baseball Futures League is

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

's second level of baseball, below the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

. It serves as a farm league with the purpose to develop professional players on-demand to play in the KBO League. The league consists of two divisions — the Southern League and the Northern League. These leagues are governed by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). The league plays an 80-game season.

Current teams

Most of the Korean minor league teams carry the same name, and use the same uniforms, as their parent team.

Southern League

Northern League

Non-regular team

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. The team was formerly known as the Nankai Hawks and was based in Osaka. ...

History

The

was founded in 1982, with the second-tier league being founded in 1990.Fast, Alex
"So You Want To Get Into The KBO: The Pitcher List staff brings you the definitive guide to the KBO,"
''Pitcher List'' (May 2020). The initial roster of seven teams in the 1990 season was: * Binggrae Eagles *

Haitai Tigers Kia Tigers ( ko, KIA 타이거즈) are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982 and based in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Until 2001, they were known as the Haitai Tigers. The Tigers are a members of the KBO League and are ...

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants ( ko, 롯데 자이언츠) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation, which also owns the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Pr ...

LG Twins LG Corporation (or LG Group) (), formerly Lucky-Goldstar from 1983 to 1995 (Korean: ''Leokki Geumseong''; ), is a South Korean multinational conglomerate founded by Koo In-hwoi and managed by successive generations of his family. It is t ...

* Ssangbangwool Raiders * Samsung Lions *

Pacific Dolphins The Hyundai Unicorns () were a South Korean professional baseball team based in Suwon. They were a member of the KBO League. The Unicorns won the KBO championship four times (1998, 2000, 2003 and 2004). The Unicorns were dissolved after the 2 ...

The Ssangbangwool Raiders played the initial season in the Futures League; the team moved up to the KBO League in 1991 (although it left behind its minor-league team as well). The Raiders franchise was dissolved after the 1999 season. The SK Wyverns added a minor-league franchise in 2001, playing their home games at SK Dream Park in the Nam District of Incheon. Two unaffiliated teams joined the minor leagues in 2005: the Korean Police Baseball Team, operated by the

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA; Hangul: ko, 서울지방경찰청; Hanja: ) is the primary police force for the South Korean capital city of Seoul; it is not an independent police force in of itself, but is one of 16 provincial sub- ...

, and the Sangmu Phoenix, part of the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps. Many KBO League players serving compulsory military service opted to play for the Police and Sangmu teams, usually for a term of two seasons.KIM HYO-KYUNG, PARK SO-YOUNG
"Military service looms over KBO,"
''Korea JoongAng Daily'' (April 16, 2019). The

Hyundai Unicorns The Hyundai Unicorns () were a South Korean professional baseball team based in Suwon. They were a member of the KBO League. The Unicorns won the KBO championship four times (1998, 2000, 2003 and 2004). The Unicorns were dissolved after the 20 ...

(formerly the Pacific Dolphins) — both the KBO League team and the second-tier team — were dissolved after the 2007 season. The minor league's name was changed to the "Futures League" in 2008. That same year the Hwaseong Heroes joined the league. In 2012, two teams based in Goyang joined the Futures League: the

Goyang Dinos The NC Dinos ( ko, NC 다이노스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Changwon. They are a member of the KBO League. Since 2019, their home stadium is Changwon NC Park. NC Dinos are owned by video game developer NCSoft Cor ...

and the

Goyang Wonders The Goyang Wonders ( ko, 고양 원더스) was a South Korean professional baseball team based in Goyang. They were a member of the unaffiliated Freedom Division of the KBO Futures League, and played games from 2012 to 2014. The team was managed b ...

. (The Wonders' games were considered unofficially " friendly" contests.)Nam Hyun-woo
"Independent baseball club disbanded,"
''The Korea Times'' (2014-09-11). Now with 11 teams, the Futures League divided into two divisions: the Northern League and the Southern League. A "Freedom Division" was also created for the Dinos and the Wonders. The Dinos only played the one season in the Futures League before being elevated to the KBO League — as the

NC Dinos The NC Dinos ( ko, NC 다이노스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Changwon. They are a member of the KBO League. Since 2019, their home stadium is Changwon NC Park. NC Dinos are owned by video game developer NCSoft Corp ...

— prior to the 2013 season. Also in 2012, the third-level squad of

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

, began playing 12 games a year against Futures League teams. The Suwon KT Wiz started out in 2013 as a Futures League team and played with Goyang Wonders in the Freedom Division; after two seasons the Wiz were elevated to the KBO (as the

KT Wiz KT Wiz ( ko, KT 위즈) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Suwon. They are a member of the KBO League. Their home stadium is Suwon Baseball Stadium in Suwon. History On 11 January 2013, the Korea Baseball Organization offi ...

) in 2015. (The Goyang Wonders, meanwhile, were dissolved after the 2014 season.)Nam Hyun-woo
"Independent baseball club disbanded,"
''The Korea Times'' (2014-09-11). In 2015, the Futures League reorganized into three divisions: the Red League (Goyang Dinos, Hanwha Eagles, Hwaseong Heroes, SK Wyverns), the Blue League (Doosan Bears, LG Twins, Police, Suwon KT Wiz), and the Yellow League (Kia Tigers, Lotte Giants, Samsung Lions, Sangmu Phoenix)."PARTICIPATING FRANCHISES IN THE KBO FUTURES LEAGUE,"
Baseball in Korea (January 19, 2014). The 2015 Blue League champion was the Police Baseball Team; the Red League champion was the Goyang Dinos; and the Yellow League champion was the Sangmu Phoenix. The league returned to the Northern and Southern League divisions in 2016. The Sangmu Phoenix were champions of the Southern League in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019; the Police baseball team was the champion of the Northern League in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018. The Police team was disbanded after the 2019 Futures League season.Kim Hyo-Kyung
"Woop-woop! That’s the sound of da Police Team disbanding,"
''Korea JoongAng Daily'' (July 5, 2019).

Former teams

Notes

References

External links

Korea Baseball Organization (KBO)
- Official Website {{Professional sports in South Korea Future Baseball leagues in Asia KBO League Sports leagues established in 1990 1990 establishments in South Korea Professional sports leagues in South Korea